Brentford v Fulham: five key battles

Brentford and Fulham square up in the second west London derby in the space of a week. Here are the five match-ups we feel could prove decisive at Griffin Park on Friday night.

Scott Hogan v Tomas Kalas
In his pre-match press conference, Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic admitted his side would have to be wary of Brentford striker Hogan, who struck twice in the corresponding fixture last season. He may not have scored in three games but Hogan will provide the main threat to the Whites defence, which stood up superbly against Nahki Wells, Kasey Palmer and co last weekend. Kalas, in particular, was excellent on his return from a hamstring injury.

Harlee Dean v Chris Martin
At the other end, all eyes will be on what promises to be a physical tussle between 6ft 3in Dean and 6ft 1in Martin. Scotland striker Martin has four goals in his last four games, and five in his last five encounters against Brentford. Bees skipper Dean – who himself scored against Fulham at Griffin Park two years ago – will be keen to stop Martin adding to his tally.

Andreas Bjelland v Sone Aluko
Aluko was outstanding in the 5-0 win against Huddersfield, having a hand in three of the goals, and is likely to again be deployed wide on the right. With Callum Elder and Rico Henry still sidelined, centre-back Bjelland will again deputise at left-back for Brentford. The Dane is always a busy performer and will need to be at his best again.

Romaine Sawyers v Ryan Fredericks
Boosted by his first Brentford goal against QPR last Friday, Sawyers will look to do more damage against another west London rival. He was a real threat cutting in off the left at Loftus Road, allowing the likes of Ryan Woods, Nico Yennaris and Josh McEachran to take a grip of the centre. Fredericks, who had a five-game spell on loan at Brentford in 2012, returned to the Fulham starting line-up last weekend after a lengthy injury and impressed.

Ryan Woods v Kevin McDonald
Brentford’s victory over QPR was largely down to the way they took control of the midfield. At the heart of it was Woods, who hardly wasted a ball and looked to dictate the tempo. Fulham will know they need to shut him down and ex-Wolves man McDonald is becoming increasingly influential for the Whites, with excellent displays against Norwich and Huddersfield.